You post a job on Indeed on Monday. By Wednesday, 200 people have applied, and many of them have never worked in your field, cannot work the shifts you need, or clicked "Apply" without reading the posting. Indeed's screener questions are built for exactly this moment.
Screener questions are short questions candidates answer when they apply, so you can sort applicants before you open a single resume. They can be yes/no, multiple choice, short answer, a date or number, or a file upload, and Indeed suggests ready-made questions based on the job title (Indeed for employers, as of November 2026). Here is how to set them up, which questions to ask for common roles, and what to do with the answers.
Set them up in the job post
Screener questions are part of the job post itself, so add them before you publish:
- Create or edit the job post in your Indeed employer account and go to the Applicant Qualifications section.
- Add the questions Indeed suggests for your job title, or write your own and pick the answer format.
- Mark the true must-haves as deal breakers.
- Remove any question you don't need with the X next to it, then publish.
- Once applications arrive, open the Candidates tab to read the answers and filter applicants by them.
Keep the list short
Indeed lets you add as many questions as you want. That does not mean you should. Every extra question adds time to the application, and good candidates with other options will drop out of a long one. Ask only what you need to decide who gets a call, and save the rest for the interview.
Applicants whose answer to a deal breaker does not match are moved to your Rejected tab, where you can still review them and move them back. Use deal breakers for true requirements only, such as a licence the law requires, or you may filter out your best applicant. And remember that a perfect set of answers is easier to fake than a solid resume.
Start with the true must-haves
Because applying on Indeed is quick, some people apply to everything. A few targeted questions filter them out, since uninterested applicants rarely take the time to answer. If the role needs a specific degree, certification or language, ask about it directly. For senior or specialized roles, a question about experience is the fastest filter. For entry-level jobs, it can backfire: a motivated person with no experience in your field may serve you better than an experienced one who does not care.
Check motivation and judgment in one question each
One short open question tells you whether the candidate read the posting and knows something about your company. A yes/no question cannot measure soft skills, but a short scenario can show how someone would handle a real situation in your business. In customer service, look for the qualities that matter most in customer service hires.
Confirm availability, and book the interview in the same step
Nothing wastes more time than finding the right person and learning in the interview that they cannot work any of your shifts. Ask about schedules, weekends and nights if the role needs them, and ask when they could start, since many people must give notice. Indeed also suggests a question asking candidates for two or three dates and times when they could do an interview. It screens no one, but it saves the back-and-forth emails.
Ready-to-copy question sets by role
These are examples to adapt to your posting. Five or six questions per role is plenty; the format is in brackets, and DB marks a question worth making a deal breaker only if it is a real requirement of the job.
Retail or customer service
- Which of these shifts can you work: weekday days, weekday evenings, weekends? [multiple choice, DB if the schedule is fixed]
- Are you legally entitled to work in Canada? [yes/no, DB]
- How many years have you worked in a customer-facing job? [number]
- A customer is angry about a late delivery and wants a refund you can't approve. What do you say first? [short answer]
- If offered the job, when could you start? [date]
Office or administrative
- Have you used Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets at work, for example to build a report? [yes/no]
- Which accounting or CRM software have you used? [short answer]
- This role is in our office three days a week. Can you work on site in [city] on those days? [yes/no, DB if true]
- Tell us about a time you found and fixed an error before anyone asked. [short answer]
- Please list two or three dates and times when you could do an interview. [short answer]
Bilingual French and English roles
- How would you rate your spoken French: basic, conversational, professional, native? [multiple choice, DB at your real minimum]
- How would you rate your written English, using the same scale? [multiple choice]
- Have you served clients or answered calls in French at work? [yes/no]
- In two or three sentences, in French, tell us why this role interests you. [short answer]
- Do you hold a licence or certification required for this job, such as [name]? [yes/no, DB if the law requires it]
Ask about language only when the job truly needs it, and test it in the interview: a self-rating is a starting point, not proof.
Read the answers, then act on them
In the Candidates tab, filter by screener status and you get the applicants who meet every deal breaker first. Rate each one yes, maybe or no as you go: yes and maybe move them to Reviewed, so your shortlist builds itself (Indeed for employers, as of November 2026).
Then open the Rejected tab once a week. If it holds most of your applicants, a deal breaker is probably too strict or the question is unclear, and you should rewrite it rather than wait for a perfect candidate. Applicants rejected by a screener are not told automatically, so close the loop with a short message. An example to adapt:
"Hello [name], thank you for applying for the [job title] position. This role requires [requirement], so we won't be moving forward with your application this time. We'll keep your details in mind for future openings that match your experience. Best regards, [your name]"
Candidates remember how a company treated them, and some of them will apply again or become customers.
Stay on the right side of human rights law
Screening questions follow the same rules as interviews. Do not ask about age, marital or family status, religion, or where someone was born. Ask instead about the job's real requirements, such as whether the person is legally entitled to work in Canada or can work the required hours. The Canadian Human Rights Commission's hiring guide lists questions to avoid and acceptable alternatives. Indeed's own guidance also tells employers to avoid discriminatory or personally invasive questions. This is general information, not legal advice; your provincial human rights code also applies.
From 200 applications to a shortlist
With five or six well-chosen questions, that Monday posting gives you a sorted list by Wednesday: applicants who meet your must-haves, can work your shifts, and have already suggested interview times. Start your calls there.
Good screening starts with a clear posting, so read our guide to writing a job description that attracts the right candidate. If you are hiring bilingual talent and want pre-screened candidates, see how our recruitment program works.
